The Annual Reports of the Mysore Archaeological Department popularly known as MARS published by R. Narasimhachar from 1906 to 1922 and M.H. Krishna from 1929 to 1946, containing ample description of architecture and sculpture are well known both in India and abroad. R. Narasimhachar thought of issuing about half a dozen short monographs with suitable illustrations on a few notable buildings in the state treating both architecture and sculpture. He introduced this series in 1916 under the title Architecture and Sculpture in Mysore and brought out the following three numbers.
1. The Kesava temple at Somanathapura
II. The Kesava temple at Belur
III. The Lakshmidevi Temple at Dodda Gaddavalli
The last number was published in 1919 and the series was not continued thereafter for a long time. This series was revived in 1993 and Narrative Panels from Kadur by Channabasappa S. Patil was published as No. IV, changing the title of the series as Architecture and Sculpture in Karnataka. This is also a short monograph with suitable illustrations.
All the above four numbers are devoted to the places falling within the area of the then Mysore state. More districts were added to the Mysore state in 1956 and the state was renamed as Karnataka in 1973. The present monograph Sirival: its monuments, sculptures and inscriptions published as No. V under the same series contains description of monuments and sculptures at Sirival, a small village in Shahapur Taluk of Gulbarga District, added to the state in 1956. This is the first monograph devoted to a place in the present north Karnataka. The present monograph contains not only detailed description of monuments, sculptures and inscriptions but also a large number of photographs and drawings. I am very happy to place this monograph before scholars and public.
1 congratulate Dr. Channabasappa S. Patil, Deputy Director of this Directorate and Shri Balasubramanya, formerly of this Directorate and presently Reader and Head of the Department of Archaeology, Kannada University, Hampi, for setting a new trend in the form of exhaustive documentation of architecture and sculpture at one place. Their effort in bringing to light a large group of monuments of the Rashtrakuta period and identifying sculptures narrating the Panchatantra stories is commendable.
The Rashtrakutas ruled from 8th to 10th century A.D. from their capital Manyakheta, present Malkhed in Sedam Taluk, Gulbarga District. Their kingdom was the largest among the ancient kingdoms of south India. It extended upto the Narmada in the north, the Kaveri in the south, the Arabian sea in the west and included a part of Andhra Pradesh in the east. Art and literature flourished under them. This was the golden age of Kannada literature. Kavirajamarga, the first literary work in Kannada poetics, is ascribed to Rashtrakuta king Nripatunga. Ponna and Ranna were honoured by the emperors with the title 'emperor among poets'. Adi Pampa and Nagavarma were among other important poets patronised by them.
Art and architecture were also given due importance. They patronised both rock cut and structural temple architecture. The Kailasanatha temple at Ellora is the largest monument of the Rashtrakutas and the biggest monolith in India. A large group of monuments including temples, mathas/koshthagaras and wells attributed to the Rashtrakutas is located at Sirival in Shahapur Taluk, Gulbarga District. This group throws new light on the art and architecture of the Rashtrakutas. Large number of sculptures on these monuments narrate the Panchatantra stories. This site contains largest number of the Panchatantra sculptures in India.
I congratulate the authors, Dr. Channabasappa S. Patil and Shri Balasubramanya, for their efforts of preparing this monograph on Sirival. The Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, being one of the oldest organisations in the country, has been making significant contribution to art, architecture, archaeology, epigraphy and numismatics since 1885. I congratulate Prof. M.V. Krishnappa, Director of Archaeology and Museums for keeping up this important tradition.
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